Starting Again
by rainswings
Summary: I accepted my life had changed at fourteen. Now I know my life has changed. Because now, I might be loved. This is my first story, all turtles X oc's
1. A New Life

**I do not own TMNT, though I wish I did.**

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"Hey Amelia, I dare you to go into the sewers!"

"Me too! Do it Amelia!"

"I double dog dare you to go in!"

"Now you have to!"

This is the first dare I don't want to do. Living in New York makes the idea of going to the sewers terrible. There's some disgusting stuff down there. "No." My answer to their dare is definite.

"I'll give you five bucks!"

"I will too!"

"Yeah, me too. We all will."

"Uh huh. Me too."

I can't. I have to. I have no money or food, and without family or money, I'm gonna die. All I have is the orphanage. I shake my head a little.

"You only have to go down for a minute, that's it."

"Ya, please?"

I look at them with worried eyes. Like they said, I won't be down long, right? I'll just go down and come back up, and that's it. I'll have food for a while. I need twenty bucks. A sixteen year old girl needs food, even if she's just some twig-like girl practically all skin and bones, even a girl with the figure of a stick, long, thin, and no curves- aka me. I really need that food. I give in and nod solemnly. "Fine, but only for a minute. And there better damn be plenty of money shelled out when I'm done."

"Awesome-o! I'll lift the manhole cover." With a screech the innards of NY are uncovered, and I am ushered inside, the social pariah pushed to her lowest. As I descend the small, old ladder, cheers emanate from above. I go down rapidly, but about midway my foot slips and a sickening crack breaks the quiet. Bars where my feet were supposed to go had rusted to nearly dust, and disintegrated when I encountered them. Slipping down fast, my arms jolt with the shock and having to hold all my weight.

Crud. Hovering over the grime beneath me, I begin to feel all the slime on the bar my hands hold to. Palms wetting with sweat and the stuff on the bar, I can't hold on longer. I let go. Impact hits my feet and legs hard, and I look up at the faces that linger near the manhole. "Sorry, But I've gotta go." The words drop like stones to my shoulders. "We need to cover the manhole, I'm sorry." No. This can't be happening. They're abandoning me. The cover screeches back over the opening and I am shrouded in darkness.

At least I have no family that will worry over me. At least the other school kids will know what happened. My real friends will come get me when they see I'm missing at school, they'll help me. They have to. They're my friends, right? Friends help friends out of trouble. Rats scuttle around and remind me how light would be very helpful right now, and I open my purse and scramble for my Swiss Army Knife. Pulling out the little flashlight on it, I push the button and let there be light. Actually, I wish there wasn't light, because now I can see where I am. It's pretty terrifying to see rats scurrying about you and trying to nibble on your hand-me-down red converse hi-top trainers like they're cheese. "Get off!" I kick them away and fluff up for a moment, and they scuttle for their tiny lives. My friends better come damn quick.

It was late when I left to the sewers. I've been standing around for a while. What time is it? How will I get out? Mainly, what's gonna happen to me? Frankly, I'm scared for my life. Might as well get on the move.

I walk dead ahead, unknowing of anything farther than a two yard radius. Shadows -large ones- cross just beyond my field of vision. Walking faster, there's more. "Hello?" Silence, more shadows. "Hello?" Nothing. Now I'm scared. "Who are you? Hello?" Moments pass and I yell again to the dark, "What are you? Please answer, for god's sake!" Then something answers.

"Don't cuss." It's a deep voice with something like a Brooklyn accent, and I take a step back.

"Ok. As I asked, who are you?" I whimper slightly. A new voice answers.

"Why do you care?" It's creepy.

"How many of you are there? Please… I feel weird to ask, but… can you help me?" the shadows turn to each other.

"Four. Help with what?" It's another new voice, and I shake my head. This is NOT where I want to be. I can take three of my average fighters, the ones I'm used to, at best.

"I got stuck down here. The ladder disintegrated in my hands." What I tell is the truth; they don't need to know what got me down here though.

"Well you're screwed." Says another voice, the final if they tell the truth about their numbers. These words bring disagreement.

"Not funny!" One of them whispers, the third I heard I think.

"Seriously Mikey. Someday I'm gonna kill you." It's the first, and he's not happy.

"Whoa, sorry, I'll shut up." This is apparently Mikey, and then this brings on all the other voices saying at once, 'finally!' Normally I would laugh, but in the stress of the moment, I really can't. The shadows gather together, talk amongst themselves too quietly for me to hear, and disperse. I have no clue where any of them went and begin to go forward when I feel there is something behind me. Fueled with fear, I whip around in a roundhouse kick up high, where someone's face would be. It falls for a moment and I train my light on it as it rises. Instead of finding a monster, I see a man clad in black and purple get up. The next thing I know, something sharp is digging into my middle, and as I pull away something hits me in the head and I knock out.

Slowly my head begins to clear and I open my eyes, but I'm sure I must still be dreaming. Because in front of me there is something humanoid, but with the shell and color of a turtle. It even has the yellow front plating. It's not possible. Rather than being rude and freaking out about the mirage, I choose to act like nothing is out of the ordinary. I say, "Hello. Where am I? Who are you? And how long have I been out?" I stare at the strange creature, noting the thin purple mask that was slipped around its eyes, with holes for the eyes. Attached to a cord going over one shoulder and down the side is what I think might be a Bo staff. Surprisingly, my hallucination responds with information I didn't have. And with one of the voices I heard when I was in the sewer.

"You're in our home, I'm Donatello, and you've been out only an hour or so." He looks as confused as I must, for only a moment later he calls out, "She's up!" then looks at me again. Something in my mind begins to register. I have the weird feeling that this is no dream, and… Donatello really exists. Besides the terrifying thought of him being real, a new thought crowds my mind: I was probably carried here. I don't think they found my secret, but anyone who lifts me would find out how light I am, and would feel my bones that stick out all too much. I lived in an orphanage, but they didn't take care of us, so I rarely saw food, and what I saw, I gave to the younger kids at the orphanage we called home. Donatello speaks quietly to me. "Are you hungry? ... We carried you here and..." He looks down to his odd hands, which have two fingers and a thumb, rather than four fingers. I see the look on his face and immediately want to be helpful.

"I'm pretty hungry." I say quietly, and it seems to calm him.

"I'll get you some food then-" He is immediately cut off by the slightly higher voice I remember belonging to someone called Mikey.

"I'm coming up, I wanna meet her." There is the sound of feet going up steps, and Donatello slips out of the room I'm in, quickly replaced by another humanoid turtle, much like the other, with only a different skin color- more evergreen-, a orange band, and nunchucks tied around his waist rather than a Bo staff. We both stare at each other a moment, and finally I ask if I'm dreaming or not. With a laugh he shakes his head. This is real. This can't be real. But it is. My head starts to hurt from the confusion, so I stop worrying. This is real life. Weird stuff happens. I need to get used to it. I prop myself up with my arms and see the bandage around my waist and the red that has begun to seep through. I'm guessing it's not a good thing. I stare at where the slice of me must have been taken out in wonder. I'm used to fighting, but I don't do knife fights, not after that last one for the loaf of bread. I nearly died that time, but we ate very well. He must notice where I look because he answers a question I didn't know I had. "You got sliced with a sword. Not terribly, but most would be out a lot longer than you. It was one of the foot clan. There were only two of them though, so they weren't much trouble. The one you kicked went down pretty hard though, you must've done a good job." I look at him in confusion. I'm used to a little street fighting, but for a moment I don't know what he's talking about. He finally explains. "The Foot Clan is a group of ninjas that like to cause trouble. The clan disagrees with us a lot, those two were probably simply out after their shift." He smirks, and it clicks into place. They are hunted. Probably for 'science'. Everything I know of fairness screams against it, that no one could be that cruel, but my knowledge of the human race says that they would. With ease.

"I'm sorry." I whisper, but he shakes it off quickly, and I have the feeling he knows what I'm sorry about. Being human when humans are terrible.

"It's okay. It's not like you chose it to happen. We just have to play with the hands we're dealt." I smile, because I know the saying well. I'm a girl with a penchant for plants and poker, and have excellent luck in both, but I know what it means to throw a hand. I know what he means when he implies a poor hand. We both sit in silence, he on the edge of the couch I have been set on, when Donatello comes back in with a slice of pizza in his right hand and an almost sheepish look on his face, and I go dead silent. I've only stolen a slice once, and the man who I stole from nearly cut off my hand for it. I merely watch him quietly, fearing for the first time they may not like me, they may choose to do as the man had and try to kill me.

Fear registers in my eyes and Donatello looks worried. "Here, eat it. You must be hungry." He hands me the piece, which is larger than the one I stole, yet thinner. Eyes trained on Donatello for the least sign of maliciousness, I take a hesitant bite. Warm sauce coats sweet bread, with the delicious pepperoni biting in with its spiced meat flavor. I love it. I take another bite, and after a quick look at Mikey and Donatello, I rip into the food ravenously, letting my hunger get the best of me for a moment.

With a laugh, Mikey says, "Are you a little hungry?" as I take my last bite of crust.

With a smile, I respond, "Thanks. Can you two help me get something straight?" They look to each other and nod. "You got me out of the sewer tunnels, but I'm a little confused. When I was there, there were four of you…?" I stop the question midway, feeling like by asking I would be rude. It takes only a moment for Mikey to explain.

"There are four of us. I'm Michelangelo, but call me Mikey, this is Donatello. The other two are out right now, but the one with a red band is Raphael, and the one with blue is Leonardo." I only knew Donatello, and I am glad to know the rest, and yet both Don and I seem surprised at the straightforwardness of what he said, and I remember something about being polite.

"I'm- My name is Amelia." The words tumble out and stumble over one another like water. I smile and say, "Thank you for your hospitality, but I'm guessing I should…leave…" My words slow as I hear a TV a little bit away with the news on. Some anchorwoman is telling the city about the supposed arsonist who has burned down Second Chance Orphanage. My orphanage.

Donny speaks slowly. "That's where you're from, isn't it?" I nod in agreement, and he speaks again. "Then you will have to accept our hospitality a little longer."

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**Remember, I, Like everyone else writing here, thrive on reviews, favorites, and alerts! Ghost followers please make yourselves known! If you Review, alert, or favorite (maybe even all three!) I will qwop with joy. If you do all three, I promise to yell 'I love you!' From the top of a tree! So do it! click the blue buttons~they are your friends!**


	2. La Familia!

**me: Do I own it yet? Do I do I do I?**

**realistic me: No. I don't own TMNT.**

**(three minutes later)**

**me: Do I own it now?**

**realistic me: NO.**

Jesus is a name used in this chapter, but is not pronounced jee-zus, more like hey-soos (look it up if you don't understand)

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Maybe it's the knowledge that some of the friends I had are now burning to a crisp, but a dead man's last words come to mind. _Tell my sister I love her._ I knew that once he said it the rest of my life I would have a pointless search, and I ask my question I use to find this mystery sister now. "Do you, by any chance, know any O'Neil's?" Slowly I rise to a stand, being overcome by an even more pressing matter. I barely have thoughts left enough to hear Donatello's words.

"You can call me Don or Donny, and yeah, we know an O'Neil." I know he remains vague, in case I have some vendetta that must be filled, but I have something more important. I'm barely able to speak it in English.

"How do I get out of here?" I ask, looking around. There's a pond with a bridge, four strange doors, the couch and TV's, and a weird six sided thing that resembled a doorway out. Donny, probably guessing at my plan, moves himself to block me from the six sided door, and my guess is further assured. He grabs my wrist and this puts me on edge. His answer is definite.

"You probably won't be leaving any time soon, but when you do it'll be through there." He completely confirms my belief, and with a sudden burst of speed I run at the door, his hand still firmly latched on to my wrist, and I pull him to the way out. I can't stop it now. "¡Déjenme salir!" I'm at the door; so far gone from myself I know I must look like some terrified animal. Donny looks at me with a mix of fear and apprehension. I'm begging to hyperventilate, and I repeat, "¡Dégenme salir!" He finally seems to make a decision and speaks to me like I'm someone who doesn't speak English.

"You really shouldn't go outside. We don't know the full extent of how badly you could have been affected by the sword. You need to stay."

I'm rather insulted by how weak he is acting like I am. "¡No! ¡La familia es muy importante!-" I was going to keep explaining why I need to get outside, but I am stopped by what sounds like a phone ringing. Amazed, I watch as Donny takes out a green cell-phone and answers the call.

"Raph? What's the matter?" A moment of silence, and a now stressed Donny. "You need both of us? If we open the door she'll get out." Some yelling from the other end of the line, and an answer from Don. "Yes, she's up. And also speaking a different language. And trying to escape." A few more moments of muffled speech, and a resigned look from Donny. Looks like I might be getting out. "It's not like we can take her with us… but then you'd only have one of us to help! It'd be the same as… all right!" He shuts the phone angrily and opens the door. I find myself in the sewers, but with the light from their home, and the fact there's the ladder to a manhole nearby, I immediately know where to go.

"¡Vamanos!" I call behind myself, not paying any attention to whether or not they are coming. I'm already halfway up the ladder before I notice there is someone behind me. I look down to see Donny staring up. I avert my eyes and give a soft, "lo siento," before I hurry my way up. I know that I had been rather rude, but I am too freaked out that more of my family might have gotten hurt. After what happened to my little sister, I can't let anything happen again. The memory threatens to crowd my mind, but I push it away quickly.

Quickly I'm out in the crisp night air and making my emu-esque call –or so I was told it was like an emu- and wait for the answers. A howler monkey cries and a lion roars. I look to my foot to find a spider making her web on top of my shoe. I dust her off and head to our designated alley, Donatello in tow.

It doesn't take long to reach our meeting place, and at two or three A.M. we have little fear of being seen. I sit on top of a trashcan while my three friends filter in. First, Laura slinks in quietly, the pads of her paws hiding all sound, whiskers twitching. She knows instinctively someone else not in la familia is here, but seeing me calm and unafraid keeps her from shredding the shadows with her midnight black claws. She looks rather human, walking on two legs with relatively normal skin. She even wears a simple yellow t-shirt and a long black skirt. She has a golden color to her, and her hands and feet are almost paws, the claws retractable and deadly sharp. Her tail twitches uncomfortably, keeping time with her racing heart. Her ears scan for any sound, but as my friend seems to have disappeared, she doesn't catch any. I hardly get the chance to hug her before Jesus trots in.

He, the poor soul, was almost entirely changed. Almost all of him is that of the howler monkey he was changed as. His entire body is covered in fur, and the only thing that really separates him is size and knowledge, as my friend is plenty smart. I nod to him politely, and wait for Maria.

No one says anything, and I begin to get worried as I don't see my close friend. I nod to two newcomers who I had seen around. Both are the same basic crossbreed, but changed minutely. While the entirely black one, from head to tail, may have been a rare lizard, the dark turquoise one was probably made up, like me. Both are rather human, and both remind me a lot of some new green friends of mine. I've heard their names before, the black one who is a little older than me being Jessica, and the bluish one, who is just a little younger than I, being Sara. We exchange small smiles and I wait for two more people.

I barely catch my scream from coming out my throat, but I don't catch my fall off the trash can. Snapping my head up, I see none else than Maria had surprised me with her spindly legs. I hate spiders, always feared them and always will, so it's a constant surprise she and I are so close. She is almost a perfect mix of 50/50 cross, half black widow, half human. She is almost centaur like, her legs and half her body deadly spider, the other a normal girl. She even has a normal girl shirt on, a little black one with a white peace sign on it. "Maria!" I hug the girl who I gladly call my younger sister and begin to ask where Rosa is before I stop myself. Rosa won't be coming to meet us ever again. I stop myself before I am no longer to hold myself and pull Donatello out of his shadow. "La familia, te presento a Donatello." I know I can finally speak English now that I know my family is safe, and say to Donny, "Don, this is the family. This is Maria, Jesse, and Laura," I change Jesus' name a little to help it make sense in English, but I don't think he minds. "And I believe these two girls," I point to the new lizard-like friends, "Are Jessica and Sara. Correct girls?" I turn my attention momentarily to them, and when both give nods I relax. My family is safe. I turn to Laura and am starting to tell her what has happened while I was gone when I see three flashes, and Mikey, Raphael, and Leonardo are here. I change my sentence before it starts. "La familia, te presento a Michelangelo, Raphael, y Leonardo." I hardly get the words out before I notice Laura blushing. I look around the rest of the group and see the lizard girls aren't hiding on the edge of the family anymore. I turn to my blushing friend and give her a look of surprise.

"Azul," She whispers, and I turn to look at all four of the brothers. I know she means the color of the band, and when I see his katanas I reflexively grab Maria's hand. Often, when it was cold out and burning those who did wrong would bring warmth, while the last batch of those who were hung were still too fresh to smell their worst, they would have 'simple' public executions, where the offenders head would be chopped off, or, then they had done something smaller, their hand. I looked to Raphael's weapon and saw Sais. I hadn't seen them except in stories and movies, but even without terrible memories of what they could do, the things looked wicked. I turned to Laura and shook my head. She was eldest of the group, and she was a role model to me. Brave, smart, and strong, she always led us in the right direction. But I didn't feel she was leading us anywhere good by making googly eyes at him. Mikey speaks up and surprises me.

"You all are different, but what about you Amelia?" I know what he means. They all are mixed, but I seem normal. I hated it, being that close to normal. Then again, I love how I _was_ changed. Feeling like I am walking to a death sentence or trap, I walk in front of them so I am closest to the outside. Turning to face them, I take a deep breath, let go of my fears, and unfurl my wings.

In the darkness the blood-red still holds color, the black feathers seem black, the white and gold feathers respectively colored. Those colors are peppered into the red of my wings, and make it obvious I was made mixed with no bird. I am completely original, completely unmatched, and completely alone.

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**Review, favorite, and alert please! You people make me all depressed when nobody does anything, and I know people are reading this, but I need you to tell me if this is good, or Thou Shalt Never Knoweth What Happens to the Winged Girl-Child! Romances, Mutations, and ~****_Magic~_ to come! So say something or you won't know my plans! My promise to yell 'I love you!' from the top of a tree still stands if I get favorite/alert/reviewers!**


	3. A Chat or Two

**I wish I did, but I do **_**not**_** own TMNT.**

**A Chat or Two**

There is an awed silence as they stare at my bloody, bright wings, but the energy instantly changes from amazed to stiff, angry, or scared when a man appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to stand behind me. I whip around, and instantly I realize that I know this man. He is silent a moment as he studies each of us with his empty eye socket, the real eye not moving from my face. "Hello little crow, or should I call you pigeon, for you are just as ugly and useless as one?" He gives me no time to respond before he keeps going. "Either way, bird, I hope you and your friends know I have gunmen everywhere here, and they are all too ready to pull the trigger on any and all of you, so no moving, no fighting." His one eye gains a malevolent glint as his lips part in a deadly smile. "Besides," He continues, "I bring good news. You, my lucky pigeon, may see the one who called you… what was it?" A small bell-like voice calls the answer for him, in the gentlest, happiest tone of hers.

"Mommy!" I bolt to full attention at the sound of the one voice I haven't heard in a while; have needed to hear all that time. I clench my fists as he goes on.

"That's it. _Mommy._ You may be seeing her. Dead or alive is something I cannot promise, or whether or not you may see her at all, but you might." My mind screams this is a trap, it's all too obvious, but I can't stop myself from knowing I will fall for it anyways. She just meant too much to me to not try to get her. What kills me is that he knows I haven't a chance of stopping myself from fighting until the ends of the earth to find her, and he hangs the fact over my head. He pulls out a seemingly blank sheet of what looks like printer paper and holds it out to me. "This has the instructions to find her, if she is there at all. They will appear at ten tomorrow night. Get there before midnight, or there will never be a chance to find her alive, if there is one now." Something about the timing of our meeting throws me off, but I ignore it temporarily.

Looking him in the eyes, I whisper, "Meet you then." In a gentleman-like manner, he bows, and as if I were a lady, I curtsy. Immediately there is a puff of grey smoke, and when it clears, all that remains where he was is a little ash. Crows lift to the sky, as if following an invisible leader. A murder of crows. I count them quickly, knowing inherently that they are his lovely gunmen, and once I get to thirty, I stop. They all had guns and excellent aim. I haven't got my glasses or my tessen fans. At a distance I would prefer my blowgun, but I haven't seen-or used- it in a while. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and look to Maria. Both Laura and Maria know a little English, and right now I'm too tired to translate for myself. "Maria, do you know where my glasses and tessen are? Last I had them was in the orphanage." At this she gives a slight, 'oh!' and scrambles right up the wall. A few seconds later she comes back down, carrying not only tessen and glasses, but blowgun as well. As she holds them out to me, I thank her. "Thanks hon. I've been missing these," I pause to put on my glasses and watch as everything becomes so much sharper, and the blots in the sky become pinpoint stars. "Ah, sight as it's meant to be." I quickly put my tessen into their pockets and smile wide as I take my blowgun gently, all darts neatly tucked in their respective slot. "And how I've been missing this. Thanks a million!" I hold the jet black blowgun to the side as I give her a quick, thankful half-hug.

In her broken English she says softly, "It is nothing." Shaking my head, I turn to where I last saw Laura to tell her what's been happening in the little time I've been gone, but I find she's moved from being alone to talking to Leo. She speaks rather broken English, but she tries very hard, and understands a fair bit. Right now, I think she might be… flirting? Not possible. Either way, I guess it would be rude to interrupt. I turn about and spot Mikey chatting up a storm with Jessica, and Raphael talks to Sara next to him. I find that already Maria and Jesus have delved deep into an all-Spanish conversation where I hardly know a single word. Oh well. The only person not talking- besides me- is Donatello, who stands quietly off to the side. I muster my courage up to the forefront, looking like I don't have a care in the world as I walk up to him and casually hide my blowgun away, but the moment I reach him my defenses of false bravery crash down and I am left mute. Luckily, he takes pity on me and stars the conversation himself.

"Why did you start speaking Spanish ten minutes ago?" Clearly he doesn't have much pity, and I'm glad, for I hate being pitied.

"Spanish isn't my first language, English is, but Spanish comes naturally. When I get too freaked out over something, I start speaking Spanish. I only learned a little, but when I freak out it's like a different part of my mind takes over, and that piece knows Spanish. When I'm back to normal, I speak English, but I don't understand Spanish as well as I spoke it while the other piece was in control, and… I don't really remember what I say and do. That piece of me is completely separated from the rest, and sometimes I get into trouble over it. I only vaguely remember bits and pieces of what I do and say, so I have to pick it up from there," I give a sad half smirk. "What did I say? I can probably translate most of it."

"Well," He starts, "When we were at the lair you said something like… Dégenme salir?" He looks at me for what I was saying, and I quickly translate.

"I was saying let me out."He looks at me again and continues.

"After that, when we were climbing out of the sewer, you looked down to me and said… lo siento." By how he looks at me, a little sad and like he's laughing at the same time, I get the feeling he knows what I said.

"I'm sorry. That's what I said." I laugh a little, feeling awkward for some unexplained reason. I look around and notice Leo catching his brother's eyes, and without any further explanation, Don gives a quick smile and walks over. The other boys follow suit, and those of us who were talking stand around silently, waiting until they're done with their quick conversation.

Donny comes back and I smile at him. He explains what they were talking about. "Leo just wanted to say that we can go where we want to, we just need to be back at the lair before sunrise." I smile, understanding this might mean some privacy for us, and I point to the roof above us.

"Should we go up? I know an area where you can see the stars." He nods, and quickly we ascend the fire escape to the crisper night air that comes from being above it all. I ready myself to jump to one roof when I look to him. "I forgot you're not me. Do you know how to jump from roof to roof?" In answer Donatello smiles and leaps to the roof he saw I was planning to go to. I smile at the slight challenge, and, without using my wings, soar to the same roof. With another graceful leap I'm to another, and Donatello keeps pace. Without a word we tear off into the night, Donny right behind me.

Finally we reach the small section of more rundown buildings, where the lights are always off and stars are out. We sit down side by side and stare at the diamonds scattered across a velvet sky. "Do you know what that constellation is?" He points to the big dipper, and I nearly slap him.

"I'm from Idaho! I'm used to the stars, so you think I don't know the most well known constellation, Ursa Major, when I see it?"

He replies with a laugh. "I'm used to people who think a star might be a UFO. So, if you're used to stars and know constellations so well, what's that?" He points to a different cluster. I punched him lightly in the arm.

"AAND you think I don't know my own star sign?" I put on a falsely high and mighty voice."You insult me." I go back to my normal one and say, "That's Leo, the lion, ruling planet the Sun," I put on a falsely proud girly teen voice, "Because the world revolves around us." I laugh and he does too, which is such a comfort. He has a sense of humor, _and_ he's smart.

"You're a Leo? What's your birthday?" He asks me.

"August 14. Back in Idaho I swear it was one of the hottest days ever. The summers there are _sweltering._" He smiles, ad after a moment he asks something.

"August is the eighth month, and your birthday is the fourteenth, right?" I nod. "So that makes your birthday 1408." I bring my hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Officially creepy, that movie had me up all night fearing zombie mummies would crawl out of the air vents, and my room would catch aflame, and that's already happened once." I'm sitting bolt upright, laughing a little, albeit nervously. "I don't trust the fourteenth floor anymore." He laughs and sits up too.

"Ah, a little good old Stephen King scare. Good movie, well made." I think a moment, then ask something odd.

"You were found by your dad, right?" He nods, and I go on. "So none of you have official birthdays, huh?"

"Nope. We just have the approximate day he found us."

I look at him and respond, "Well that's no fun. From what I've gathered about you guys, I think your birthday would be… March 14th!" he looks at me oddly.

"Einstein's birthday?"

"The one and the same. That'd make you a… Pisces. And that is right…" I point into the sky to the star sign. "There." I smile wide at him.

"Then, oh great diviner," He asks, earning him a laugh, "When do you think my brothers were born?"

I pause a moment, then answer. "Well, Your brother Michelangelo, he's relatively friendly and talkative, and, in general, a laugh. I think his birthday is none other than April 1st, making him an energetic Aries." I pull an announcer's voice as I say the last part.

Don gives me a quizzical look. "April Fool's day? Isn't that a little mean?"

"No, it's all in good fun. Think about it, the day is all about tomfoolery and laughter, and it seems your brother is nothing but that."

With a sigh he nods. "I'll give you that. What about Raph?"

"I don't know too much about him, what's he like?"

Don doesn't hesitate. "Violent, loud, extreme, not usually all too friendly." With a laugh I respond.

"Then he'd have to be September eleventh, that's the only specifically violent date I know of… But that'd make him a Virgo, the most peaceful of the signs… What a conundrum." I put on an overly thoughtful face which earns me another laugh.

"A terrorism date being in the most peaceful sign? Odd. Well, what about Leo, our leader?"

This gives me a real reason to think. "Maybe he'd be… January first? That'd make him the rather serious Capricorn. Does that work?" Donatello nods vigorously, too busy laughing to speak his agreement. He calms back down and we both look into the sky a moment before a flash of fear courses through me. "Where's the moon?" I ask hastily, momentarily put on edge.

"It might not be up right now, I think it might be a child's moon right now… or it might be nearing new." He sees my expression of fear and laughs. "Are you scared? You do realize werewolves were said to come out on full moons, not new moons, right?" He smirks, but the smile does not reach me.

"It's not werewolves I'm afraid of."

**Dun-dun-DUUN! What is it Amelia **_**is**_** afraid of then? On the lighter side, do you agree with the boys' newly appointed birthdays? I looked them up thoroughly. Raph's was very tricky though… oh well. A little more interesting here, at least I hope so.**


	4. An O'Neil and a Master

**An O'Neil and a Master**

Donny and I reach the lair, as he calls it, just before the sun rises. I know enough about the demented orphanage I was forced to stay in that soon they will be back up and running, probably with something to gain a little money for repairs, most likely a freak show of sorts. Until then I know to wait my time out with the guys, I have nowhere else to go to. My other friends can stay in Maria's cave she found, but it's small to house five teens, let alone the six I would make, so I opted to stay out of the group. I've blocked my understanding of why temporarily, but my subconscious doesn't want to be near my friends right around now. Once at the entrance, Donny pulls a lever and opens the door to the inside, but immediately seems embarrassed. I look to the entrance from behind him to see that a mutated, human sized, rat is in the room, wearing a kimono. He immediately spies me, and the barely-contained fury terrifies me to the core. Had I not frozen myself in place, I'd be shaking like a leaf in the wind as Donny speaks. "Master Splinter, this is my friend Amelia. She is not a normal human, and my brothers and I met her earlier today. She was attacked by two stray foot members and held her own, but got taken down. She needs a place to stay." The one who Donny calls Master Splinter looks me in the eye, and though I want to duck from the gaze, I keep my head level so he can see into my eyes, but do not seem like I'm being rude.

"You say she is not human, but it seems as though she is completely normal. How can we trust her to keep our secret?" Master Splinter asks, and I respond instead of Don.

"I will trade you. I don't tell humans about you, and you don't tattle on me and say experiment 77 is free." I unfurl my wings only a little, enough to prove they are there; then crush them against my back again. I look into his eyes again, and I send a message past language, past words and sound and thought, a message that says that I mean no harm. He nods slightly, silently saying he recieved. Before an awkward moment of silence could occur Donny asks a pointed question.

"When you first met us you asked if we knew an O'Neil. Why would you want to find one?" I turn to him and feel the joy I had back away from me.

"An old promise I made to a dead man I hardly knew. He wanted me to send a message to 'A female O'Neil'. Do you know any? Please, the message is something that is not sprung of anger, but of family."

Donny eyes me quizzically, then asks to master splinter, "Where are my brothers? I need to talk to them about something." Splinter points into a room and I am left alone with him for a moment before Donny comes out of the room with his brothers in tow. "We know the girl you might be looking for," he states. "We'll ask her to come down here to talk about this."

A call and fifteen minutes later a red haired woman entered the lair. Immediately the resemblance to the man I knew struck me, but still I was tentative as I asked, "So you are April O'Neil?"

"Yes. And you are Amelia?"

"Correct. I hate to beat around the bush, so… have you ever had a brother?"

Her eyebrows raise in surprise. "Yes, his name was Jack. How did you know?" She's on edge and wary as I hesitantly answer.

"I met him just before he died. He wanted me to give you a message; he wanted me to tell you that he loved you. Also, I wanted to tell you the answers to any questions you might've had about his passing."

The boys stare wide-eyed at the two of us, and Leo says, "Why didn't we know about this brother?"

April's response is immediate. "He was dead before you met me, no point in raising the dead. I wanted to know," She looks to me, "exactly what happened? No one ever found his body, and if you were there…" her face is expressionless, and I inherently know she is trying to hold back tears.

"That night was dark. Six people stood in an old warehouse, and I was among them along with your brother. Everyone stood in a circle in order of entrance, and your brother was last. We were all there to protect our families. Every one of us knew the rules; there was one bullet in a revolver gun with six spots, and only five of us would come out of the warehouse. It started, and one to another the gun was passed and people shot, but no one went down. By the time it got to me I was positive I was the one not coming out, and I told him to tell my family I loved them. My heart stopped and I shot, but the bullet didn't leave the barrel, and I passed the gun to him. He was terrified, but he stayed strong through a few tears. He told me to tell a girl O'Neil that he loved her and shot right afterwards. I helped bury him in the beach where no one was at the time, but I still bring flowers to him. I could take you to him if you'd like." She's silent, but Raph speaks up and almost makes me punch him in the gut.

"Why'd you tell 'er all that? Can't you just leave it at 'he's dead' and be done?"

Rather than beating him to a pulp anger rises in me and I yell, "If your littlest brother died and you couldn't save him, weren't there, weren't enough to protect him, and you go through a long time not even knowing what happened but only he was dead, then lo and behold someone comes who can tell you the real story of how he died, would you want to know? That's exactly what happened to her." He's shocked at my outburst, and immediately I look down and it's clear that any rage has quickly passed.

"How'd you know he was younger than me?" April's question is quiet, and a little scared.

"I know the feeling. I lost someone who was a little sister to me, and because I'm not absolutely positive she's dead people use her against me, knowing that no matter how obvious a trap may be, I will fall for it. So I understand the unique feeling of a younger sibling's death." She's silent for a moment, and the turtles seem to piece together that who I speak of is Rosa. I see her pained expression and open my arms slightly, inviting a hug. The takes the invitation and holds me tight, letting go of a flood of tears. I join her in crying, but my tears are less, if only because I've nearly cried myself out over Rosa. Through the tears, I whisper over and over in her ear, "It's all right, it's all right. It's all gonna be all right."

**I am, contrary to popular belief, alive, and have kept writing. I felt that a little emotion needed to be drained in the form of tears for Amelia and April, so a sob session was arranged for the two. How do you like it? I promise that in the next chapter there will be much more action for those who are bored to tears by teary-eyed moments.**


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